Mod War games too samey, says EA

Electronic Arts boss John Riccitiello has said the Modern Warfare games are all starting to look the same to him.

"If you've played Modern Warfare, and you've played the first one - and you've played the last Call of Duty - it's sort of starting to feel like they're making the same game again," he told Kotaku.

The silver-haired executive was keen to point out he thinks Infinity Ward "are great", adding, "It's not about them being bad for us having to be great too."

Riccitiello's comments came as EA announced a new Medal of Honor game, coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. He reckons the release could give EA the edge in the FPS genre.

"I'm not saying it's going to happen tomorrow," said the platinum-maned chief. "But in the way that Activision sort of alternates sequels of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty and owns the leadership position in first-person shooter, between Medal of Honor and Battlefield, I want it back. And we're going to get there with innovation and quality."

According to Riccitiello, the next Battlefield: Bad Company will be "a worthy competitor to Modern Warfare" - perhaps even good enough to beat it.

"We think we've got an advantage over Modern Warfare 2 with our multiplayer... Frankly, once you get past, sort of, four people on a map, I think our gameplay is better," he said.

Riccitiello cited being able to control vehicles rather than just ride them and take both buildings and their occupants out as highlights. "Personally I get a silly amount of pleasure out of it," he added.

Ellie spent nearly a decade working at Eurogamer, specialising in hard-hitting executive interviews and nob jokes. These days she does a comedy show and podcast. She pops back now and again to write the odd article and steal our biscuits.